MILITARY MONDAY ~ Locating a picture of Frank Gillespie (1894-1916) A young man who gave his life fighting in World War I

I wrote a post about Frank Gillespie, my 2nd cousin twice removed, back in 2019.  You can read that post here MILITARY MONDAY ~ FRANK GILLESPIE–Killed in action in France during World War I–age 22

As genealogists it’s always our hope to connect with other descendants and share information.  I have found, over the years, that my blog has allowed me to do that on numerous occasions.  This past week was one of them.

I received an email from a lady named Marion, who said she was researching her family for veterans day, specifically the Gillespie line, and came across my blog post in a Google search.

We are 4th cousins, descending from my 3rd great grandparents, Thomas Gillespie (abt 1792-1868) and Susannah BARROWCLIFF (1791-1876), both from England.  This couple had 11 children, ten boys and a girl.  Marion descends from Robert Gillespie (1827-1869) and I descend from his brother Joseph Gillespie (1837-1908).

I responded to Marion’s email right away and we quickly began communicating, even though we are on different continents in different time zones.  What fun!  She shared information that I didn’t know about this Gillespie line and I was able to share some photos with her.

One thing she did share with me was a link to a website honoring young men and woman from Grangetown, Wales, UK who served in the military.  One of those young men was our cousin Frank Gillespie.  She sent me a link to the website and I was able to see what they had for him and that included a picture.  Here is a link to that website Grangetown at War and here is a link to the specific page about my cousin, Frank Gillespie The Grangetown men who died at the Somme.  FYI – I had visited this website back in 2019 and hadn’t located this information.  It was kind of buried within the site.  I use CNTRL F when I want to search a website.  However, if a particular name is on a page accessed from a link within the website, you won’t find it.  A big thank you to Marion for pointing me to that specific part of the site.

If you have a moment please read about the other young men from Grangetown, who lost their lives and are honored on this page.

(You can click on any image to enlarge it)

Here’s a transcription of the short biography from the image above.

GRANGETOWN MEN WHO DIED AT THE SOMME

On 1st July 1916, the British Army suffered its largest number of casualties in one day - nearly 55,000, including 20,000 deaths. The first battle of the Somme carried on for four months. In those first few days though, 18 men from Grangetown died. Here are a few of their stories.

Private Frank Gillespie was your typical Grangetown soldier in many ways. He was 22 years old and newly married when he was sent to France for the final time. He lived with his parents in Knole Street – number 36 – and worked down at the Docks. There was an engineering firm called Loveridge in Hannah Street which made equipment for ships and he was a smith’s striker. Hot work.

He was the eldest of 10 brothers and sisters, the son of a Somerset man who had also worked in the shipyards. Frank enlisted as soon as he could at the start of the war as a 20 year-old. He joined the South Staffordshire Regiment. He had been invalided home twice, before the Battle of the Somme. Frank married around the time his baby daughter Ellen was born in March 1916 but he was soon forced to leave his wife Agnes at home and was back over to France.

The South Staffs were in the 7th Division, 91st brigade – and part of a diversionary attack on Gommecourt, north of the main Somme battle early on the morning of Saturday 1st July. The Germans were well dug in to withstand the artillery barrage and responded with machine gun and rifle fire. Frank was one of those missing presumed dead.

Here is the photo of Frank downloaded directly from the site and enlarged.  You can see how grainy it is.

I used Photoshop Elements and the Filter>Gaussian Blur option to smooth it out a bit.  Smoothing too much caused blurring.  Only slightly improved from the original.

I still wasn’t happy with the results.  I’m no photo restoration expert, that’s for sure.  So, I thought I’d upload it to MyHeritage and use their enhancement feature.  I was happily surprised to actually see this young mans face.  Granted it’s not the best and I’m sure someone with more skills could probably do better.

What mattered to me was actually being able to see his eyes and face more clearly.

To all of Frank’s cousins, his daughter Ellen and any descendants, I hope I’ve honored him here today.

If any of you are connected with this GILLESPIE family or the BARROWCLIFF line, please get in touch.  I respond to all comments and emails.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

MILITARY MONDAY ~ A Follow Up On My Yearbook Post–These Young Men Didn’t Make It Home to Their Families–Meet Glenn Gillen & Ellis Hart

A few days ago I wrote about finding yearbook photos on Ancestry.  As I was going through the photos I had, they included 2 young men who were in high school during or just before the time of World War I (1914-1918).  They ended up serving our country and sadly, they never came home.  They were killed in action.

Let’s honor those young men, here, today.

The first is Corporal Glenn Clifford Gillen.  Son of Elijah Cecil Gillen & Bessie Etta Cowen.  Glenn was born 1 Jan 1896 in Chesapeake, Lawrence, Ohio. He was the 3rd child of 9 born to this couple.  The second oldest son.  There were 6 boys and 3 girls.  All of his siblings lived to adulthood and, in fact, well into old age, except Glenn.  Glenn is my maternal 2nd cousin 3 times removed.

Glenn attended Independence High School in Independence, Montgomery, Kansas and if he graduated, it would have been about 1913-1914.  He is honored in the 1919 yearbook for this school on a memorial page for those lost during World War I.

Glenn registered for the draft in Montgomery, Independence, Kansas in June 1917.  He gives his age as 21 years, he’s single, and he works as a Laborer.  Physically he was described as tall, medium guild, gray eyes and brown hair.
  

Here is his World War I Registration Card

(Please click on any image to enlarge it) 

Fifteen months after signing that draft registration card, Glenn Gillen was killed during the Meuse-Argonne battle in France.
Corporal Gillen is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial in France.  You may visit his memorial here #55992727.

Used with permission of the photographer

The second soldier we will honor today is Corporal Ellis Collins Hart.  Only son of Hermon Doten Hart & Florence Bell Hakins.  Ellis was born 27 Oct 1927 in Ohio.  He had one sibling, an older sister Caroline Harriet Hart (1926-2006).  Both of the children were adopted according to the 1930 census.
Ellis is my paternal 3rd cousin once removed.

Sadly, Ellis’ father Hermon D. Hart died in 1933, at the age of 44, while saving his daughter, Caroline from drowning.  Stay tuned for a post about that incident.

Ellis attended Jesup W. Scott High School in Toledo, Lucas, Ohio.  The photo I have for him from the yearbook lists his age as 16 in 1944.

Ellis did register for the World War II draft on 27 Oct 1945.  He was single and described as 5’ 8 1/2” tall, 165 pounds with brown hair, gray eyes and light complexion.  His mother, Florence is listed as his next of kin.  He was employed by the A.P. Tea Company.

Ellis enlisted in the Army as a Private on 7 Jan 1946.  This would have been after the end of World War II.  U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946.

So, Ellis enlisted in the Army in 1946.  Yet in 1950, when he was killed, he was serving with the U.S. Marine Corps, 2d Battalion, 7th Marine Division. 

• What made Ellis change from one branch of the service to another? 
• Is that a common occurrence?
• Was there a draft for the Korean War? I don’t know.  I also have never located any service records for that war.

You can find references to Ellis’ Marine service and his being killed in action on the following links. He was killed by hostile fire on 3 Oct 1950 by gunshot or small arms fire.  He was a ground casualty.

U.S., Korean War Casualties, 1950-1957
U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963
Global, Find A Grave Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current

You may visit his FindAGrave memorial here #194881515

Here is his headstone photo

Photo placed on findagrave.com by Moses and used with permission

I am happy to have honored these young men today.  May they always rest in peace.

If you are connected to any of the family I’ve written about today, I’d love to hear from you.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

SEPIA SATURDAY ~ WAR and PEACE–Corp. Glenn C. Gillen–Killed in Action WW I

A MOTHER’S PILGRIMAGE ~ Bessie Cowen Gillen's visit to the grave of Glenn C. Gillen ~ Killed in action in World War I

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FRIDAY FINDS ~ Hospital Register for Deaths of Volunteers in the Civil War–J.W. Frampton died 1864

I’ve located a Civil War hospital record for J. W. Frampton.  This record was located on Ancestry.com U.S., Registers of Deaths of Volunteers, 1861-1865  I’ve not seen these hospital registers before.  I was actually searching for records of another Frampton ancestor when I saw this one.



This record is indexed as J. H. Frampton.  I believe in looking at this record, and comparing the “H” and “W” written on it, that this is J.W. Frampton.

Name: J H Frampton
Death Date: 6 Jun 1864
Death Place: 2 Corps Field Hospital
Enlistment State: Pennsylvania
Rank: Private
Company: I
Regiment: 84 Penn Inft
Box Number: 49

Here is John's headstone from FindAGrave #40243488

Headstone for John W. Frampton and his brother Isaac - used with permission from Caz who placed the image on FindAGrave

This man died of a gunshot wound.  I have Framptons who originated in Pennsylvania and later moved to Ohio and Virginia/West Virginia.  Is this young man one of them?  At this point I don’t know.  Further research is needed.
 
Have you seen these hospital records before?  It seems like I’m always turning up new records.  Think how many are online that we don’t know about. Will we ever see them all?  I doubt it.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

MILITARY MONDAY ~ Honoring Pfc Robert Dean Thornton–killed in action in World War II - 1945

PLEASE CLICK ON THE TRIANGLE TO PLAY ROBERT'S MEMORIAL VIDEO

Robert Dean Thornton is my 2nd cousin once removed. Meaning we share a common ancestor – my 3rd great grandparents,  Charles Milne (1822-1877) and Margaret Ritchie (1820-1902).

BACKGROUND: Robert was the son of George Thornton (1881-1951) and Goldie Downing (1883-1962) of Muskegon, Michigan.  Robert was their youngest child.  He had older siblings, Lottie Mae, Goldie M., Marjorie and George “Williard.”

According to his headstone and military records, Robert was born 29 Aug 1919 in Michigan. NOTE: There is one record that gives his birthdate as 29 Sep 1919.

I first find Robert as a 4 month old in the 1920 census, in Muskegon, Michigan.  He again appears in the 1930 and 1940 census records with his parents, living in Muskegon, Michigan.
On 16 Oct 1940 Robert reported to the Local Board No. 2 in Muskegon, Michigan to register for the draft.  He is listed as 5’ 7 1/2”, 150 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes and a light complexion.  He was working for Hercules Motor and he was 21 years old.

WORLD WAR II DRAFT REGISTRATION - 1940

On 6 Mar 1941 Robert married Jacklyn M. Ritersdorf, in Definance, Defiance Co., Ohio.

Ohio, County Marriage Records, 1774-1993
Name:    Jacklyn M Ritersdorf
Gender:    Female
Age:    21
Birth Date:    abt 1920
Marriage Date:    6 Mar 1941
Marriage Place:    Defiance, Ohio, USA
Father:    William Ritersdorf
Mother:    Mary Edgerly
Spouse:    Robert D Thornton
Film Number:    001977645

Just 9 months after their marriage on 7 Dec 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed. This as we all know, began the U.S. entry into World War II.

On 25 May 1943 Robert D. Thornton enlisted in the Army.  Less than 2 months later he and his wife, Jackie divorced. That means the divorce would have begun prior to his enlistment.  Did the divorce proceedings have anything to do with his enlistment?  I have no way of knowing.
 
However, just 18 days after the divorce was final, Robert married Paula Evelyn Johnson on 27 Jul 1943 in Comanche, Stephens, Oklahoma.
 
Oklahoma, County Marriage Records, 1890-1995
Name:    Robert Dean Thornton
Gender: Male
Age:    24
Birth Date: abt 1919
Marriage Date:    27 Jul 1943
Marriage Place: Comanche, Oklahoma, USA
Spouse: Paula Evelyn Johnson
Film Number:    001869740

Robert was a Private First Class in the 378 Infantry Division, 95th Division, Company G.  According to military records Robert was killed in action, at age 25 on 6 Apr 1945 in Germany.  That means that Robert was killed just 32 days prior to the war’s end.  He made it for two years and then sadly, died just a month before he could have come home.

Robert's body was returned home for burial in October 1948, along with others from Muskegon, who had died in the war.  The local high school that Robert attended displayed a bronze tablet honoring those who had paid the ultimate sacrifice.

They also mentioned them and shared photos of them in the 1945 yearbook.

Robert is buried at Mona View Cemetery in Muskegon, Michigan. His headstone memorializes his service to our country.  You may visit his memorial here #46411967.

I am honored to be related to this military hero.  May he rest in peace.

If you are related to anyone mentioned in this post, or have additions or corrections, please contact me.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2019   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

MILITARY MONDAY ~ Sgt. Presley Lunsford - Killed in Action during the Civil War - 1864

Who was Presley Lunsford, this young man who gave his life in service to his country for a cause he believed in?

He was the second child of eight, born to Andrew Lunsford and Jane Gillialan/Gilliland.  An exact date for his birth cannot be determined, but it was about 1841 in Ohio. Presley Lunsford is my 1st cousin 4 times removed.

We first find Presley in the 1850 census living with his parents four siblings in Elizabeth, Lawrence Co., Ohio.  The surname Lunsford is often spelled Lunceford and varies from family to family and document to document.  Presley’s father is working as a Laborer.

Elizabeth Township is a small rural community.  In the 2000 census there were only 2,914 people living in Elizabeth.  I suspect it was much smaller back in the 1860’s.

In 1860, just a year prior to the beginning of the Civil War, Presley is single, 19 years old and living with his parents and all 7 of his siblings, still in Elizabeth, Lawrence Co., Ohio.  Both Presley and his father are working as Farm Hands.

On 12 Apr 1861 the War of the Rebellion as it was called then, the Civil War, as we call it now began.
 
Presley enlisted at Ironton, Ohio as a private on 28 Aug 1861, just four months after the war began.  Term of enlistment was 3 years.  He was in Company G, 2nd Regiment West Virginia Cavalry.  His description is given on this page in his muster roll.  He was 20 yrs. old, 5’ 7 1/2” tall, light complected, brown eyes, dark hair, born in Lawrence County, Ohio and his occupation was Farmer.  This same muster roll page states he was promoted to Sergeant on 31 Dec. 1862.  He just have been doing a good job for him to be promoted.

Here’s the image of that page along with the battles & commanders of the unit Presley Lunsford belonged to.  You may read more about this unit here 2nd West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry 

Click on any image in this post to enlarge it.

       

   
Presley got married during his time of service for the Union army.  On 12 Mar 1863 he married Martha Campbell at Kanawha, Cabell, West Virginia.  I wonder if they knew one another from his childhood or did they meet during his service?  There were no children born to this couple.  From statements in the file it appears that Martha was 18 years old when they married.

Here is a copy of a certified statement of the marriage, found inside the pension file.  This is just the kind of record you hope to find when you order pension files.  It may be the only evidence you find for marriages, especially during the turbulent times of the Civil War.

Sgt.Presley Lunsford was Killed in Action at Winchester, Virginia on 24 Jul 1864.  He was about 23 years old at the time of his death.  Here is the Casualty Sheet from his pension file.

 
Martha applied for and received a monthly pension of $8, in his name.  I expect it was difficult for a young woman to support herself in those days and even if she lived with family, every little bit would help.

Martha remarried to Thomas Saunders on 20 Oct 1865 and the pension payments were terminated.

Here are the notes I recorded as I read and re read this pension file.

                                CIVIL WAR PENSION FILE REVIEW
                                                   Presley Lunsford

Page                              Item of interest

3	Claim filed 10 Dec 1864 at Ironton, Lawrence, Ohio
4	Shows that Martha Lunsford is now Martha Saunders
6	Surgeon general’s report dated Jan 1868 verifying death of soldier
7	Widow’s Pension stating Presley Lunsford was a Private in Co G, 2nd W.VA Cavalry. Rate of pension is $8 a month commencing 25 Jul 1864, the date after the soldier’s death. List all dates pertinent such as enlistment, marriage and date of his death
8	Summary of Proof – states he was killed in action at Winchester, VA on 24 Jul 1864
11	Gives the date and place the soldier mustered into service – 28 Aug 1861 at Ironton, OH for a period of 3 years or during the war
14	Statement by Kanawha County Recorder in the state of West Virginia on 25 Nov 1864. States that he certifies to the marriage of Presley Lunsford and Martha Campbell on 12 Mar 1863 in said county by James Atkinson . License for the marriage was issued by said office on 9 Mar 1863.
15	Widow’s Claim for Pension – Martha Lunsford appeared before Court of Common Pleas and states she is 18 yrs. old and a resident of Aid Township in Lawrence County, Ohio. She is the widow of Presley Lunsford who was a Sergeant in Company G, commanded by Capt. Ankram in the 2nd Regiment of West Virginia Voluntary Cavalry commanded by Col. William Powell. That Presley Lunsford was killed near Winchester in the State of Virginia on 24 Jul 1864 in a fight with the Rebels. She also claims that she married Presley Lunsford in Kanawha Co, W. VA and that her name before marriage was Martha Campbell. And that no children were born to this couple. Her post office address is Ironton, Lawrence Co., Ohio.
16	Witnesses to Martha Lunsford’s statement were John McMahan and Henry Lunsford residents of Lawrence Co., Ohio. State that since the death of her husband Martha Lunsford has not remarried as of 17 Sep 1864.
18	Letter dated 14 Jun 1876 in Ironton, OH to Honorable J.A. ______, Commissioner of Pensions. This letter states that Martha Lunsford married Thomas Saunders 20 Oct 1865 and that her attorney Stephen P. Calvin died some six or seven years ago.
21	Letter from probate Judge Geo. W. Thompson of Lawrence Co., Ohio, dated 14 Jun 1876 stating that Martha Lunsford and Thomas Saunders were issued a marriage license on 19 Oct 1865 in said county. And, that they were united in marriage on 20 Oct 1865 by Jeptha Clark, Justice of the Peace.
25	Claimant’s answer to letter asking why she long neglected to prosecute her claim. States she lives far from town at Vernon Furnace in Lawrence Co., OH and has been married a second time for ten years and her name is now Sanders (note difference spelling here).

NOTE:  My system for reviewing these files has always been to record each page number and what I found on that page. I also extract that particular page from the PDF pension file and save it separately.

Some of these files can be over 200 pages long.  To think I will remember which page number contains which piece of information would be pointless.

I don’t have any idea where Presley’s final resting place is.  However, I have created a memorial for him on FindAGrave so that he is never forgotten. You may visit his memorial here.

While researching this family, I learned that Presley’s older brother, William H. Lunsford also served in the Union Army and survived the war.  I obtained an image of William from some of his descendants and use it here with their permission.  He too had dark hair and I wonder how much Presley may have looked like his older brother.

Photo of William H. Lunsford

If you have any additional information regarding this post, or are related to this family, please contact me.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

CIVIL WAR PENSION FILE FOR WILLIAM LUNSFORD - Presley's Uncle

My source for obtaining Civil War Pension Files is Twisted Twigs Genealogy.  There is a link to their home page in the right column of this blog.
 
Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
Copyright ©  2010-2017 Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

A MOTHER’S PILGRIMAGE ~ Bessie Cowen Gillen's visit to the grave of Glenn C. Gillen ~ Killed in action in World War I

A U.S. Army 37-mm gun crew manning their weapon on September 26, 1918 during the World War I Meuse-Argonne Allied offensive, France.  This would have been the day after Corp. Glenn C. Gillen was killed in this battle.

 

The Gillen family is a direct line for me.  I descend from William Gillen (1782-1841) and his wife Rachel Frampton (1781-1855).  They are my 4th great grandparents.

It is one of their great grandchildren that is the focus of my post today. 

Corp. Glenn Clifford Gillen

born 1 Jan 1896 in Chesapeake, Lawrence, Ohio

Killed in action 25 Sep 1918 in France

Corp. Gillen is my 2nd cousin 3 times removed.  Glenn’s parents are Elijah C. Gillen and Bessie Etta Cowen.  Glenn was the 2nd son born to this family.  He had 3 sisters and 5 brothers, two of which were twins.  All but the youngest girl would have had vivid memories of him.

 

A recent hint on Ancestry.com brought up a record group I had never heard of before. It’s called U.S. World War I Mothers’ Pilgrimage, 1929.   In it is a list of mothers and widows who desired to travel to Europe to see the final resting place of their sons who were killed in action during World War I.

Here is the index:

Name:	Glenn C Gillen
Gender:	Male
Relationship to Soldier:	Self
Rank:	Corporal
Military Unit:	Co. D, 139th Inf
Cemetery:	Meuse-Argonne
Burial Place:	Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, Meuse, Lorraine, France
Mother:	Bessie Gillen

The image lists the Name and Addresses of the family member, their relationship to the deceased soldier and information about that solider.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

Transcription of this entry:
Mrs. Bessie Gillen of Independence, Montgomery, Kansas is the mother of deceased soldier Cpl. Glenn C. Gillen, of Co. D, 139th Inf.  He is buried in the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery and she desires to make a pilgrimage to his burial location at a later date.

I wanted to learn more about this young man, who died at age 22 yrs. serving his country.  I was able to find the following records:

• World War I Draft Registration Card
• Global, Find A Grave Index for Burial at Sea……..
• International Find A Grave Index
• Kansas, Fraternal Order Death Index, 1873-1969
• WWI, WWII and Korean War Casualty Listings
• Several newspapers articles referencing Glenn’s death on Newspapers.com 

 

World War I Draft Registration for Glenn Clifford Gillen

During this tough time in our country, I wonder what this young man thought as he registered for the draft.

His parents visited him before he left for duty in September 1917.


And there was a family picnic too.



I think about this family, like millions of others, who said goodbye to their sons and never saw them again.

From the Independence Daily Reporter, 21 Oct 1918, pg 3.
This article is titled OME BOY HIT BY MACHINE GUN BULLET and is a letter from Sgt. Ben Taylor to his mother Mrs. Myrtle M. Taylor.  In it he mentions his experience and then says the following:

“I don’t know how true it is but I heard that night that Sergt. Frank D. Coate and Corp. C. Gillen were killed in action….”



Two more articles located on newspapers.com mention Corp. Gillen as missing in action and another names him for an honor roll.  I notice that Glenn’s brother, E. Ross Gillen is also mentioned for this honor roll.


Glenn’s mother, Bessie, was finally able to make that journey to France to see her son’s grave.  She was 61 yrs. old and appears to have traveled alone.  We can only imagine how she felt as she walked up to his headstone, so far from home.

Name	Bessie Etta Gillen
Arrival Date	4 Sep 1931
Birth Date	1 Dec 1869
Birth Location	Missouri
Birth Location Other	Springfield
Age	61
Gender	Female
Port of Departure	Cherbourg, France
Port of Arrival	New York, New York
Ship Name	America

Corp. Glenn Clifford Gillen of Independence, Montgomery, Kansas served in the 139th Infantry, 35th Division, Company D.

You can find his memorial on findagrave.com by clicking here.
He is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery & Memorial in Romagne, Lorraine, France.

Here is a photo of his headstone.  Used with permission.



I’m glad to have met Glenn C. Gillen all these years later, and learned a little about him and his family.  He never married and had no children that I am aware of.  But, his memory lives on.

Rest in Peace Corporal Gillen.

If you think you might be related to anyone mentioned in this blog post, please contact me.

In honor,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

MILITARY MONDAY–Killed in Action–A Tribute to George Briggs Fitzcharles 1886-1918

George Briggs Fitzcharles is my 1st cousin twice removed.  That makes him a nephew to my great grandmother, Elizabeth “Bessie” Fitzcharles.

First let me tell you how excited I am to be able to write anything about the Fitzcharles family.  My great grandmother’s parents remained a mystery aka brick wall to me, until 3 years ago.  Now I take the time to learn everything I can about this Scottish family.

BACKGROUND ON GEORGE BRIGGS FITZCHARLES
George was the son of Michael Fitzcharles and Euphemia Anderson who were married on 14 Feb 1879 in St. Clement, Dundee, Angus, Scotland.  To this couple were born the following children:
John born 9 Sep 1879
Robert Nicholas born 1 May 1881
William born 1 Dec 1883
George Briggs born 26 Apr 1886
Ernest born 24 Oct 1888
Maggie or Margaret (the only girl) born 1 Jun 1891
David born 6 Jun 1896

George married Isabella Jane Hutton on 2 Aug 1909 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

MARRIAGE RECORD - GEORGE B. FITZCHARLES & ISABELLA J. C. HUTTON

They had their first child, a daughter, Euphemia, born 12 Feb 1910. 

George was working as a Brakeman for the railroad in the 1911 census, living in Grangemouth, Stirling, Scotland.

1911 CENSUS OF SCOTLAND - GEORGE FITZCHARLES, HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER

A son, George, was born to this couple on 5 Jan 1913.

Historical events effect our lives today as they did back then.  In 1914 the “Great War” or World War I began.  You can watch a short video about it here 
.
In 1915 George was working as a furniture salesman in his father’s business.  On 4 Jun 1915 he enlisted in the 1st Royal Scots.  Here are his attestation and descriptive papers upon enlistment
.

Just a little over a month after his enlistment, George was admitted to the hospital for “Intesinal disorder” and what I read to be ptomaine ? (could it be ptomaine poisoning?)  He appears to have been admitted on July 7, 1915 and discharged on August 7, 1915.  And then transferred to Cramour House Convalescent Hospital from August 7, 1915 to August 28, 1915.

On September 13, 1915,  George was admitted to the hospital a second time for a concussion of his spine.  He stayed in the Kitchener Hospital in Brighton for 5 days.  Upon which he was transferred to a military convalescent hospital.



According to the book Roll of Honour, Arbroath and District 1914-1919, page 167, printed and published by T. Buncle & Co, Market Place, Arbroath, Scotland in 1921.

 Private George Fitzcharles was killed in action on March 27, 1918.  He was 31 years old.

“Private George Fitzcharles, 3rd Royal Scots, 33 Park Street, Arbroath, was the son of Michael Fitzcharles, Guthrie Port. He was thirty-two years of age, had married Isabella Hutton and left a son and a daughter. He was a furniture dealer with his father when he joined the army in July 1915. He went to France in October, and was invalided home the following year suffering from shell shock and wounds. In 1917 he returned to France, was slightly wounded several times, and was killed in action on the 27th of March 1918. His platoon officer wrote of him : - ' ' He was a good soldier.  We feel his loss very much."
 


I have located several references to George having been killed in action during his service, including pension papers, references in books and on war memorials and correspondence with his widow, Isabella.

He is honored on the Grangemouth War Memorial in Zetland Park, situated in the center of Grangemouth.  Here is George’s name on the memorial:

GRANGEMOUTH WAR MEMORIAL

He is also honored on the Pozieres Memorial in France.  Here is an index page for that memorial, showing his name.


George was a young man with his whole life ahead of him.  He left behind a wife and two young children.
  
I located a death certificate for his widow, Isabella, and it appears she never remarried.  She is still using the surname Fitzcharles and is listed as the “widow of Private George Fitzcharles.”  She died on February 14, 1955, age 68.

Here is the post I wrote about breaking down the Fitzcharles brick wall.  Click here. 

PLEASE contact me if you think you might be related, even remotely, to anyone mentioned in this blog.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

WHY DIDN'T I SEE THAT?  When the Obvious Escapes Us

SCOTLAND - Aberdeen & North-East Scotland Family History Society

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION